President Obama issued an Executive Order on July 21 amending Executive Order 11246 for Equal Employment Opportunity, making “our government…just a little bit fairer”. Executive Order 11246, signed by President Johnson in 1965, prohibits government contractors doing $10,000 worth of government business on an annual basis from discriminating in employment decisions on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. In addition, the Executive Order requires those contractors to take affirmative action ensuring equal employment is afforded in all aspects of employment (this is why you have an Affirmative Action Program (AAP)).

Whether you are a manager or an HR professional, the following conversation probably sounds familiar to you:

At Helios, we are often asked to recommend how to best structure an organization’s HR Department. You may have heard the rule of thumb is 1 HR professional for every 100 employees. Unfortunately, it is not that simple and there is no “one size fits all” solution. There are a lot of factors that go into determining the right solution for your organization.

There are thousands of government contractors who hold Service Contract Act contracts, yet so many of them are confused about the requirements. It’s understandable; the requirement guidelines are complicated and difficult to navigate. As an HR consultant with GovCon subject matter expertise, I often interpret the guidelines for many of our federal contracting clients to ensure they are in compliance. Here are a few tips to help clarify some of the most frequent misunderstandings I have discovered over the years consulting on the McNamara-O’Hara Service Contract Act of 1965, now known as the Service Contract Labor Standards.

As a government contractor with 50 employees and $50,000 in government contracts, you are required to have an Affirmative Action Plan (AAP). Much of the information that goes into your AAP is collected from your applicants and employee population by providing them with an invitation to voluntarily self-identify.

You may have heard that the OFCCP is getting ready to send a wave of Corporate Scheduling Announcement Letters(CSAL) to contractors that have been selected for an upcoming compliance review. And the news may be making you very nervous. I remember the first time I received a CSAL and I got so nervous at the thought of an audit. But when I realized that we were doing the right things and were prepared to respond, it really wasn't so bad.